Looking at his physical traits alone, I really like Fryfogle as an NFL Wide Receiver prospect. He falls in sweet spots in both height alone and BMI:
A quick look at this plot (Provided by Dynasty Nerds) reveals that the majority of successful NFL Wide Receivers were drafted (between 2000 and 2019) weighing in with BMI between 26.25 and 28.05. Fryfogle has displayed good speed, though nothing electric by those regards. Where he does excel is the usage of his arms and body to make excellent plays in traffic. From the very beginning of this video, you can see him making plays with his hands, in and out of traffic, and staying keen to the ball. On top of this, he managed to pull in a whopping 19.5yds per catch in 2020.
In 2021, I would like to see Fryfogle make his routes more crisp, as they were sometimes slightly rounded in the 2020 season. I would also like to see further attempts at garnering separation. If Fryfogle continues to play as he did through the season, I foresee him being drafted around round 5 and being a solid WR3 for a team. However, if he can hone in on some of his technique, don't be surprised if he's drafted in the 3rd round as a WR2 for a quality team.
Allgeier's production and usage went through the roof in 2020. He's really fun to watch, and is in the higher side of the sweet spot as far as BMI is concerned
Between 29 and 31 BMI contains the majority of the 240+ PPR seasons for RBs between 2010 and 2019. He makes cuts in a surprisingly nimble manner for his size. See 0:30 in this highlights video:
His yards per carry (though coming against primarily inferior competition) have been impressive through. In his true freshman year (though only rushing 9 times) he managed 5.6 YPC it's all been uphill from there, with 7.00 YPC in 2019 and 7.53 (!!!) YPC in 2020. This includes his game against Boise State (then ranked 21) where he ripped off a MONSTER 86 YD TD carry in which he demonstrated excellent speed and ball-carrier vision. This all comes after having only 26 carries to his name.
I would like to see him convert more of his weight into muscle. With the fact he can move at decent speeds at his build, I can't imagine how fast he would be with a full spring training under his belt. I would also like to see him become more involved in the blocking game. I don't think it would be any problem for him at his size, but the combination of an incredible offensive line and a great blocking tight end in Isaac Rex, it wasn't something he had to do much during this season. However, with key departures on their O-Line, I'm sure he will have to step into that part of their game more frequently.
In fantasy, it's important to have your own personal red flags that concern you about a player. This is often injury history in the case of veterans. However, you should keep red flags in mind when looking at potential college and high school prospects as well. These could be physical traits, competition, production, injury history, or any stat from a swath of potential warning signs that you could look to. For me, one in particular stands out: WR Height. I say this because their are quite a few highly touted Devy picks in the 2021 NFL Draft who are below 6'0":
Jaylen Waddle 5'10"
Rondale Moore 5'09"
Elijah Moore 5'09"
Tutu Atwell 5'09"
Dazz Newsome 5'11"
These are concerning to me (especially Waddle and Rondale who are projected to be Late 1st - Early 2nd rookie picks in most leagues) as the outlook for Wide Receivers under 6'0" is pretty bleak. DynastySFlex on Twitter does a terrific job of outlining why you should be concerned by the production expected out of these Wide Receivers:
"There have been 22 1st/2nd round WR since 2003 between 5’10-5’11. Just 5 of them have hit a top 24 season. None of them hit a top 5 season."
After scanning through each of the drafts since 2003 and the fantasy production by Wide Receivers in that time, I confirmed this stat for myself.
I write today's blurb specifically because I think that the dynasty community as a whole is too excited about Jaylen Waddle. Though he's constantly had to battle his way through historic depth chart, I worry about his inability to put together a 1,000 yard receiving season. You might respond to that by saying "Well he would have in 2020 had he not sustained an ankle injury that took him out of most of Alabama's games." I think you'd be correct. However, for a wide receiver whose primary quality is just being fast, I'm apprehensive about drafting one who had recently sustained a major ankle injury.
Now, to compile with my concerns, he's older than Jerry Jeudy, who I have ranked high and above beyond Waddle.
I'm not saying that Jaylen Waddle WILL bust, or even that he probably will. However I, as a person who enjoys all sorts of fantasy football, will not be investing the amount of draft capital necessary to obtain Waddle. If he succeeds, that's awesome! However, if he doesn't, none of my fantasy teams will suffer for it.
What are your major red flags? Do you disagree with me on Jaylen Waddle? Comment down below!
One of the most interesting Tight Ends in the 2021 NFL Draft, Kenny Yeboah displayed so many traits that you look for in an NFL Tight End. Once he graduated at Temple, he sought to transfer to Baylor to play under his old coach, Matt Rhule, at Baylor. However, after Matt Rhule became the coach for the Carolina Panthers (keep a lookout for the Panthers to draft Kenny), Yeboah rescinded his Baylor commitment and looked to transfer to Ole Miss.
Yeboah doubled his total previous TDs (6) in the 2020 season with Matt Corral and Lane Kiffin, after his 3 years at Temple where he was used largely in a pass-blocking role. This includes his game against Alabama where he hauled in 181 Yds and 2 TDs, including this beauty that went for 68 YDs, and set the single game receiving record for tight ends at Ole Miss... That's right, against the dominant National Champions, Kenny Yeboah set the Ole Miss record for receiving yards at his position. His stats could have been even more impressive, but he sat out for Ole Miss' bowl game to prepare for the draft.
Yeboah is effective at using his frame in the receiving game to come down with red-zone passes in traffic. He managed to reel in a TD pass from Felipe Franks during the 2020 Senior Bowl, showing off his long arms and his ability to use them as well. He is also able to move his body around to make just about any catch.
There are a couple of items that Yeboah will need to perfect at the next level, though. Firstly, one of the big ticket items I look for with a pass catcher is their reliance on body-catches to secure a pass. While Yeboah doesn't rely on body-catching, and makes most of his catches with pure hand talent, you can see several highlights here where he utilizes his body to secure a big pass:
On top of this, I would really like to see him bulk up to be used more effectively in the blocking game at the next level, or he may go the way of fellow-Rebel Evan Engram who is currently a similar 6'3"/240lbs. Despite his size, Kenny did show good pass-blocking skills at Ole Miss. PFF ranked him as the best pass-blocking tight-end in college during his 2019 campaign, where he didn't allow a single sack or QB pressure in 71 pass blocking plays. Interestingly enough, in an interview with the Grove Report, Yeboah shared that he never blocked in high school, and essentially only played WR and CB.
I'm highly interested to see where Yeboah lands. I would love to see him add some weight and refine his blocking to become more of the Antonio Gates style tight end; one that is shorter than you expect, but who can make plays with the ball and is efficient in the blocking game. Though, as most tight ends coming into the NFL, it will take a year or two to see if he's really going to shine for his team.
Romeo Doubs is an interesting Wide Receiver. He has consistently played great football through his three years with the Wolfpack, amassing more than 550 yards in his freshman season and only going up from there (though against inferior competition in the Mountain West Conference).
Doubs has shown traits necessary to succeed in the NFL. His height and frame combined with his vertical speed and football IQ are exactly what you look like when looking for a diamond from a small school like Nevada (who has only had one player drafted into the NFL in the past 6 drafts).
What I noticed when watching what tape I could find on Doubs is that he hardly ever has to fight for the ball because he constantly has excellent separation from defenders. Watch how much separation he gets from the corner on this play at 3:59:
If you watch the rest of the video, you'll see that he has a separation on nearly every play through solid routes and raw speed.
On top of his physical attributes, Doubs is loved and respected by teammates, coaches, and Nevada media alike; Doubing him (yes, pun intended) the "anti-diva".
During the 2021 CFB season, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Doubs. I would like to see some of his routes become more crisp during the season. I would also like to see him pull in more than the 62% catch rate he secured in 2020, especially going into his third season developing chemistry with Carson Strong. I also definitely need to see him demonstrate a high level of body control. Check out the play at 2:10 in his game against SDSU:
It's a play that could have been yet another TD for him, but he isn't able to pivot his body quickly enough, or bring his right hand into the air fast enough, to negate the play from the DB guarding him.
If Doubs can shore up these issues and have a solid Combine/Pro-Day, I could potentially see him sneaking his way into 3rd round in the 2022 NFL Draft!
